Stand
by The Random Protector
Summary: [Oneshot][Spoilers for Season 2][Death] Jet realizes he has to stand up for what is right, even when all hope is lost.


**Warning:** This story contains spoilers for the episode "Lake Laogai."

A short one-shot about what happened to Jet after the fight against Long Feng. It was said that he had perished so might as well have him go out in a way fitting for him. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. That's basically it.

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**Stand**

"Don't worry Katara. I'll be fine."

He watched her go, unable to stop the events unfolding around him. He knew what was going to happen, what was going to become of him. It shouldn't have been this way. He should've died in an epic battle against the Fire Nation, protecting a town from their tyranny.

And yet, it seemed fitting for him to lie here.

A muffled sob made his head turn slightly; stare at the girl kneeling over him. Smellerbee. Despite her appearance, she had always held a special place in him as a little sister. It was one of the reasons she had followed him to Ba Sing Se when everyone else had abandoned him. She had always believed in him to do the right thing. Now, he didn't know what to do and here she was holding up for them.

Her tears were making the paint on her face run, bleeding like wounds. Inside, he could feel something torn and broken but he wasn't sure what. His chest hurt but the pain was numbing now, the sharp, stabbing feeling fading away to emptiness. He reached up to touch her, to try to reassure her. But his arm refused to move and he merely smiled.

The sound of a string going taut made his eyes shift down to his feet. Longshot. The boy barely spoke, saving his voice for the most important of matters. An expert marksman; he could give the Yu Yan Archers a run for their money. He was his oldest friend, one of the first to join him against the evil Fire Nation. He had remained when his own obsession had clouded his sight and was still protecting him.

It hurt to breathe, he realized. It was awful, awful to lie helpless like this. How could he have seen it though? The Earth Kingdom was supposed to be on their side, protecting them from ends like this. How could they attack him, a sworn ally, and leave him to die? The Fire Nation was the enemy. They had always been the enemy.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

He closed his eyes, feeling cold all of a sudden. Even as the girl's tears fell onto his face, he couldn't feel. He could hear though, the muffled sobbing of his adopted sister, the steady breaths of his oldest friend. They were still here, even as the ground beneath him vibrated from the oncoming danger.

He couldn't lie here while they fought for him.

"Smellerbee," he croaked, finding it painful to even utter anything. His vision swam to gray before he bit back the sudden surge of pain. "Get out. Just…get out."

"No," she whispered immediately. "No, we need to stand together." Her hand brushed back his hair, shaking. She couldn't stop shaking. Terror had frozen her heart as her leader coughed, a stream of blood trailing from his mouth. Trembling, she glanced up quickly at Longshot, begging him silently to agree. His eyes remained on the open entrance, concentration split as his leader refused to take this.

"No. Listen." He had to take several breaths to keep his voice steady and his mind clear. "I don't want you to go down with me," his vision grayed at the edges and only his will kept him from succumbing to the voice calling to him. "Get out. Leave me and go on." Pain flared through his body as he coughed. He could feel the blood now, leaving him as he tried to hold on. "You're too important."

"No, no, no," she whispered. Her hand reached for his, closed tightly around it. His own closed, tried unsuccessfully to grip it. "We're not leaving you!"

Longshot turned slightly, stared down at his leader. Silent words passed between them, years of knowing the other paying off. He nodded, lowering his bow. His eyes remained hidden beneath the brim of his hat as the weapons returned to their place.

"What?" Smellerbee glanced wildly between the two boys. "No, no, Longshot."

He remained silent, head down. The vibrations were becoming louder, edging closer to them. Ingrained loyalty didn't want him to go but he had no choice. He had been given a mission and he was going to accomplish it.

_Keep her safe._

Swiftly, he grabbed her, ignoring the screams that made him deaf. He had to escape, had to get out of this prison.

This tomb.

"Jet! No, Jet! Longshot! Stop!" She was screaming, crying, beating on his shoulders as he carried her away. "We have to stay with him! Please!"

Blood dripped from his mouth as he watched them go. She would understand. "Thank you," he whispered to no one, knowing his quiet friend could hear him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and willed his body to move. Pain flared angrily but he forced it away. His chest moved strangely as he sat up, bones shifting and crumbling. Tears flowed freely, trailing down his cheeks as he grabbed his hook swords. He managed to get his knees underneath him somehow. Swaying almost drunkenly, he had to push himself the rest of the way up with his swords.

His eyes closed, head hanging as the ache nearly took him under. _Mother, father_, he thought, the picture of them appearing in his mind. Before the Fire Nation, before that fateful night. _I'm so sorry._ The tears fell faster, harder. Blood mixed with them, dripping to the ground. His chest heaved with the effort to breathe. He could hear them, the Earthbenders, swiftly approaching him. His vision blurred and almost went to black as he forced his body up. He was going to fight to his last breath, fight against the true evil.

Feet planted, heart giving out, he screamed at them, brandished his swords. Standing against this horror, he wouldn't back down. He would live true to the name Freedom Fighter.

The rock flew straight at him. He couldn't dodge, his legs refused to move. A yell tore loose from his throat as it slammed into his chest. He could feel things breaking inside of him, blood choking him. The swords began to fall away, dropping from his limp hands. Numbness was spreading and he could hear voices beckoning to him to come. All he had to do was lie down. Just lie down.

It struck his forehead, sending him sprawling backwards. He couldn't feel anything anymore. A strange calm took him over, the world fading to a bright white before his eyes. The pain disappeared entirely and he was floating away.

For the first time in his life, Jet was at peace with himself.


End file.
